Wednesday, April 20, 2016

#atozchallenge: Q is for Quartets

This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day.

Answers to your T/F Quiz for P

FALSE 1. The average teacher in Cuba doesn't make anywhere near $100 a month. The information I got while there was they make about $15 a month.

FALSE 2. The government doesn't provide free transportation to workers to and from work to help them financially. Their transportation come out of their salary.

Two extra people stepped in to have their picture taken!

Q is for QuartetsThe Cubans are nothing if not musical, and everywhere you go you'll find groups playing great and very danceable music. Usually I found Quartets and they always had CDs available for sale. $10 seemed to be the going price. The quality of the home-made CDs is rather tinny, but the rhythm can't be beaten. The history of Cuban music is amazingly complicated. Spain brought its rhythmic flair. African slaves created many percussive instruments they remembered from their homeland. They formed social clubs called the cabildos and gathered together to play their music as well as socialize. Santeria, the religion from Haiti, added it's influence. The native folk music had its influence as well, and anthropologists are still tracing many of these early musical roots by talking to musicians today. They want to know what passed from Great-Grand Father to Grand Father to Father to Son. This crossroads of the Caribbean is a musical treasure trove of history.

Your T/F Quiz for Q

1. The Chinese influenced Cuban music along with many of the other cultural groups that arrived on the island.

2. A TRES is a 12-string guitar that has very special tuning and is popular in Cuba.

Hi. Both false. Yes the Tres is a guitar type instrument played in Cuba but it definitely does not have 12 strings, only six. They have a very Spanish sound about them. The Spanish and African people having the most influence on the Cuban people. South Africans have been holidaying there for many years. The war in Angola ended in 1988 and it wasn't long after that that south Africans began going there on holiday. My good friends Andy and Margie went there a few years ago and had a fantastic time.Blessings in the name of Jesus, Geoff.

$15 a month is unbelievable but if they can sell their CD's to the tourists for $10 each maybe they can actually afford the transportation to get to work. Amazing! I have to wonder how U.S. businesses coming back in will influence all of that. Or will they just take advantage and make it worse? I've no idea for this quiz so I'll say true. :)

I think Cuban music was how I got to hear about Cuba :) As a child, I always loved the rhythm of South American music. And then there was Gloria Estefan - big fan during the 80s and 90s. Thanks for a lovely msuical post today, Lee.

(I failed yesterday's quiz...) Just as Puerto Rico has it's own *folk* music, influenced by many cultures, I imagine it would be true for Cube as well. I'm going to take a wild guess and say false for both questions.

I saw (and reviewed in my blog) a movie about the Rock & Roll scene in Cambodia pre-1974. I was surprised that they talked about a lot of the influence on Cambodia that lead to their music started out with Cuban music in the 50s... It's amazing how the earth is connected.

I think the teachers here in Canada should be told about this since that is horrible whereas I feel the teachers in Canada get quite a bit. They can even pool all their sick days for years and take them as vacation. one woman retired but took her sick days first which amounted to 2 years worth with full pay! I love the music because I love folk music. I always think of Desi Arnaz:) I will say false to both questions. I have no idea about the guitar but tres sounds like there should be 3 of something

They seem to be very musical. I took a Cuban salsa dancing lesson and it was very different and much sillier and light-hearted than regular salsa, with several invented moves like Foto and Coca-cola! Maui Jungalow